Opening

His name is Riki Ooma, a high school senior who, despite once living in a mansion, now resides in a small apartment with his mother and younger sister. This change in fortune was due to his father being involved in an incident that resulted in the loss of most of their wealth. Although the police ruled it as a suicide and claimed the father had hidden the money somewhere, Riki believes his father was murdered and the money was stolen.

“Well, I’m off to work,” Riki told his sister as he rushed out of the house and into the streets.

The case, which was considered a major incident a few years ago, had since fallen off the radar, with no active investigations by the police. Riki, however, had been gathering information through his own means, re-interviewing witnesses.

“Excuse me, ma’am. Do you have a moment?” Riki asked, approaching a woman who looked at him with suspicion.

“What is this about?” she responded warily.

“It’s about the ‘Suspicious Death of a Wealthy Man’ case. I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

“That old case? Didn’t it conclude as a suicide?” the woman replied.

Riki silently showed her his student ID.

“Riki Ooma… Are you his son?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I know it’s been years, but could you please talk to me?”

“Well, alright. But I told the police everything back then.”

“Please.”

They sat down at a nearby cafe, and Riki began his inquiry.

“Do you remember if everything you told the police was reported in the news?”

“As far as I remember, yes.”

“Did you tell them about the little girl who was at the scene that day?”

“A little girl?” the woman asked, surprised.

“Several witnesses mentioned seeing a child who appeared to be in elementary school at the scene. However, this information was never reported. Can you recall that day again? Do you remember seeing a little girl? Did you mention her to the police?”

“A little girl… Oh, yes, there was a child. I’m sorry, I had forgotten. I don’t think I mentioned her to the police. I didn’t think it was relevant at the time. She was quite small… and I believe she was a girl…”

“Was that child dressed like this?” Riki asked, showing her a drawing.

“Yes, that’s right. It was sunny that day, but she was wearing a yellow raincoat just like this.”

“Thank you.”

“But… there was another child with her, about the same age.”

“Are you sure?!”

“Well, I’m not entirely sure, but that’s what I recall.”

“Thank you so much! This information is really important!”

This marked the third person who mentioned seeing a girl in a yellow raincoat and another child at the scene. 

There were indeed two children present, a girl and a boy, during the incident.

If they were elementary school students back then, they would be around Riki’s age now. However, there were no other details. No one remembered their faces, and identifying them now seemed nearly impossible.

One day, while working his usual shift at the convenience store, a high school girl came to the register, holding hands with a small girl wearing a yellow raincoat.

Coincidence? A yellow raincoat isn’t that unusual. But outside, the sky was clear and blue.

On such a sunny day… a yellow raincoat?

“….Onee-chan…this coat is in the way.”

“…You can’t. You’re sensitive to sunlight, just like me.”

“But…”

Sensitive to sunlight? A raincoat during the day? 

And the older sister seemed about my age…..

I felt a sudden connection, and my hands froze on the register.

“Excuse me, cashier-san?” Someone’s call brought me back to reality.

“Oh, sorry,” I mumbled, quickly resuming my task.

The high school girl glanced at my nameplate and whispered, “Ooma…”

“What?” I asked, but she hurriedly paid and left with her little sister.

She must be someone I know, I thought. As soon as I got home, I pulled out my elementary and middle school yearbooks. I scanned through the class photos but found no one who matched the high school girl from the store.

However, as I flipped through photos of school events, I paused on a picture of a particular girl. I remembered her transferring out in the middle of fourth grade. Her name was Kawano Karina.

If she was in the convenience store, does that mean she is back in town? 

Determined to uncover the truth, I decided to track her down.

So I began to put all my efforts into searching for her.